


A Soft Place To Land

by tooattachedtofiction



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: AU, F/F, F/M, Fix It Fic, Fluff, Found Family, Multi, They deserved better, i just love them so much, i just want them to have a happy ending dammit, i wrote this in one day, let them be happy, not my best but it's okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:26:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23061664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tooattachedtofiction/pseuds/tooattachedtofiction
Summary: What if Black Friday restarts with memories erased and no Wiggly to cause World War III? What if tomorrow does come?In which Tom adopts Lex, Ethan and Hannah and learns the definition of family.
Relationships: Alice/Deb (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Becky Barnes/Tom Houston, Hannah Foster & Ethan Green, Hannah Foster & Tom Houston, Lex Foster & Ethan Green, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins, Tom Houston & Emma Perkins
Comments: 6
Kudos: 134





	A Soft Place To Land

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware that there are fics like these out there but I wanted to write my own and I'm a sucker for Christmas fluff even though we are nowhere near Christmas at the moment. I needed my happy ending where things are hopeful. Kinship care does exist and I wish more fics used it because none of us know shit about the legal system most of the time and it's easier to write, I feel like. If you like this please comment and kudos, and let me know if you want to see more Black Friday stories! 
> 
> Nox

Tomorrow  _ does _ come, after all. 

Today resets and Wiggly doesn’t exist, though Lex is sure that with the sales from today, they’ll have enough money to go to California. She’ll escape with Hannah and Ethan and leave their shitty past behind. 

She still runs into Mr. Houston. He’s a nice guy, but Lex knows better. She knows he only pities her, barely knew about her situation at home, about Hannah. He thinks he can help. Lex knows he can’t. 

It’s not even seven in the morning, and she already needs a cigarette. 

She’d tried to quit, for Hannah’s sake. She knows that her little sister deserves better influences than her and Ethan. But the teachers at Hatchetfield Elementary don’t understand that Hannah is a special kid. Maybe she’s clung to Webby for too long, but if that’s what Hannah needs to cope, Lex will let this Webby stick around. Even though Webby is a spirit in the form of the stuffed animal spider Lex got Hannah for her fifth birthday. 

(In Lex’s defense, Hannah picked it out.)

Mr. Houston says he hasn’t seen her around school. Lex tells him she quit after he left. She doesn’t want him to feel guilty, but she’s angry. Angry at the fact that the only person who did give a damn about her and Ethan broke his promise and left. 

Regardless of her snappy behavior, it seems to strike a chord in Tom. So he waits for her shift to be over, for Ethan and Hannah to return to Toy Zone. 

“I thought you’d be out of here before I could ask if you wanted your receipt.” Lex says with a smirk. “Aren’t you supposed to be spending your week off with your family?” 

“I was waiting for them.” Tom shifts his weight from side to side. “Was kinda hoping they’d let me take ‘em to lunch.” 

Ethan shoves one hand in his pocket, the other pulling Hannah closer to him instinctively. “We’re not going anywhere with you.” 

“The food court?” Tom tries. He failed these kids once, and he doesn’t want to let them walk away without knowing that someone out there cares. 

“Pizza.” Hannah looks at the man with a cautious stare. 

  
“Sure.” Tom leads them to the food court, letting the kids go ahead of him while he shoots a text to Emma. He promises to be home soon, and they can get take out for dinner tonight. She doesn’t respond, but he hopes she knows he’s trying. Trying to be a good father, a good brother in law, after everything that’s happened. 

Lex and Ethan both go for the cheapest things they can find on the menu, amidst Tom’s protests that he doesn’t care what they get, as long as it feeds them. Hannah clings to Lex as they wait in line. 

Tom has his wallet out before Ethan and Lex can refuse, handing his card to a tired manager. Lex and Hannah look for a table, and the four eat in silence. 

When Tom offers them a ride home, Lex doesn’t refuse. She gives him directions halfheartedly. The check Frank gave her isn’t enough. Maybe in a few weeks they’ll be able to go. Spend their Christmas on the beach, drinking soda from glass bottles and watching the waves crash onto the shore. Ethan said he has a distant relative they can stay with, and even though it sounds sketchy, Lex believes him. In the five years they’ve been friends, Ethan’s never broken one of his promises. 

Tom takes one glance at the trailer on the empty lot. He notes the bottles scattered haphazardly around the mobile home and frowns when Lex tells him to stop here. 

“Tell me something. Do you really want to go inside?” He asks Lex, the engine still rumbling. Any moment now Lex’s mother is going to come out, and Lex doesn’t want Tom to witness that. 

It only takes one slight shake of the head from Lex for Tom to drive away. Hannah has Webby in her bag, anyways. That’s all they really need, in the end. 

“Ethan? Do you want to give me directions home-” 

“I don’t want to go home.” Ethan surprises himself, but his voice is clear enough for Tom to understand. 

After they’ve driven for a few minutes, Lex asks, “Where are we going?” 

“I’m not going to leave you out in the street. You’re coming home with me.” 

Realistically, Tom knows this isn’t a good idea. He can barely manage Tim on his own, and his salary definitely doesn’t cover four kids. But the house has spare rooms, and he can’t leave the three of them without knowing they’re safe in another adult’s care. He doesn’t even know if any other adult would take them. He doubts he could ask that much of Emma, and her new… boyfriend? 

He’d ask her later, after he made the effort to get to know her. It didn’t seem like a question strangers like them asked each other. 

Lex and Ethan don’t argue, but they look at each other carefully. They’ll get out of Hatchetfield soon enough, but for now, they have a safe place to stay. No use in fighting against that. 

Lex has her doubts, but she bites her tongue. Mr. Houston seems sure about this, but he’s not out of the woods yet. How the hell are they going to  _ live _ with each other? 

Paul, Emma, and Tim are in the living room when the four arrive. Emma’s the first to greet them. 

“Hey. You really beat the crowds.” Emma says, trying not to raise an eyebrow at the three children Tom appears to have brought home. She rises from the couch, pulling Tom into the kitchen. 

“What’s going on?” She asks in an angry whisper. 

“Look, these kids had nowhere else to go.” He defends. “And I couldn’t just stand there and not help them. They deserve so much better than that.” 

“They’re about to go to college, Tom, you don’t have that kind of money!” Emma hisses. Tom shakes his head. 

“I don’t think they want to go to college. Ethan will go to community at most, and Hannah isn’t… she’s younger than Tim.” Tom sighs. “These kids deserve someone, a second chance. I’m not equipped to deal with it, sure. But someone needs to take care of them.” 

“And the legalities of this? I mean,  _ fuck, _ is this even _legal?”_

Tom blinks before remembering what Jane had taught him when he started training to be a teacher. She’d taught him that if any of his students showed signs of abuse, he needed to report it. But she had also said something about the teachers taking care of them, as an alternative… 

“It’s called kinship care.” Tom says, his mouth moving before his head can properly process the memory. “It’s a law that allows relatives and family friends to take care of foster kids. If I could push the case as a family friend, they could stay with me. Besides, I think they could help Tim.” 

Emma gives him a tired look, one that says she’ll give it up for now. “Paul has a friend who’s married to a cop at HFPD.” She says, not looking at him. “I’ll ask about it discreetly.” 

“Thank you.” 

“And if you need anything… Money, someone to babysit or talk to the kids, I’m,” Emma takes a deep breath, the words nearly dying at her lips. “I’m here now.” 

Tom nods. “Again, thanks.” 

Emma gives him an awkward smile and finger guns before walking back into the living room.

She does do good on her promise. She has Paul run out and grab some clothes from their shared apartment to make Hannah and Lex comfortable. Ethan only asks for a t-shirt and pajama pants, saying he’d go get more clothes when the weekend is over. 

And when they’re all around the living room coffee table, eating Chinese food right out of the boxes, Tom knows he isn’t alone. 

If anything, he’s sure that Jane and God or whoever’s up there has given him a new family.

~~~

They’re back at the mall when Tom runs into Becky. Emma’s babysitting Tim again, with her…  _ Paul, _ and they’re going to Pizza Pete’s for dinner. The girls and Ethan are with Tom, though he’s walking ahead and they’re walking behind. 

He’d come up with a compromise for Lex: She’d finish high school online, get her GED at the very least. She could continue working at the Toy Zone full-time, but the trio wasn’t going anywhere until both teenagers had their high school diplomas. 

Surprisingly, she’d agreed. She couldn’t remember the last time an adult, much less a teacher, hadn’t encouraged her despite her attitude. But Tom had been through a lot, and she didn’t want to test his patience. Even if he didn’t kick her and Hannah out to the street, he’d still be disappointed. 

And for some reason, Lex couldn’t imagine disappointing him. 

They’re in Forever 21, despite Lex’s specific hatred towards the bright colors and preppy sales attendants. She lets Hannah take her around, glancing at the list Tom had given them in the morning. 

Lex knows Emma gave Tom the money for today, and she knows it isn’t a lot. She insisted in the morning that she should pay for Hannah. Ethan argued he can pay for himself. Regardless of their arguments, Tom isn’t letting them leave the mall until they have everything on the list checked off, even if he has to follow them around to do so. 

He could have taken them to Target or Walmart, or even a thrift store, if he wanted to be really cheap. But they’re here, instead. 

  
“Tom?” Lex turns her head to see a ginger haired woman approach her new guardian. 

  
“Becky..?” 

“Uh, Mr. Houston, we’re gonna go explore.” Lex speaks up. 

“Be safe!” He calls after them before returning his attention to Becky. 

Becky Barnes’ smile hasn’t changed since Tom’s football days, but he knows there are parts of her that have changed. Her eyes don’t have the innocent glimmer they used to have, and she’s wearing turquoise scrubs under her puffy jacket. But she’s beautiful in Tom’s eyes. She always has been. 

“It’s been a long time.” Becky says, and Tom nods, not trusting himself to say anything. “What exactly are you doing at Forever 21?” Her eyes tease him. He hopes his face isn’t that red yet. 

“I, um, my kids…” His shoulders sink when he realizes there isn’t enough time to properly explain. “It’s a long story.” 

She laughs, and  _ god, _ he’s missed that laugh. It’s not until then that he remembers just how much he’s missed her, from the high ponytail to her bright red lipstick. She pulls a pen from her pocket. 

“Give me your arm.” She says, and he complies, watching as she rolls the sleeve of his flannel up and uncaps the pen. “We may not have time now, but maybe over coffee?” She glances up at him questioningly. 

“Yeah. Could I get your number?” 

She smiles. “It’s on your arm.” 

“Oh.” He laughs nervously, relishing the feeling of butterflies in his stomach. “So I’ll call you.” 

“Okay.” She waves, backing away. “See you, Tom.” 

“Bye.” He feels like he’s fifteen again, scoring a date with the cheer captain. 

The kids appear out of nowhere. “We’re going to Target.” Lex says, leaving Tom no room to argue. “We need clothes and Christmas presents.” 

When he sees Emma, he tells her about Becky. Her face betrays her before her words do. “Not that I don’t want to hear about you getting a girlfriend a year after my sister died, but-” 

He cuts her off before she can point out anything. “I don’t want a girlfriend right now. I still want to give Tim time, and it wouldn’t be fair to Becky if I was still dealing with…” He doesn’t want to choke up. Emma nods, looking away. 

“Yeah, okay.” She says, and the conversation’s over. Paul walks in, obviously looking for Emma. 

“We’re going to head out, but, uh…” Paul wraps an arm around Emma’s shoulders. “We’re hosting Christmas Eve at our place, and we were hoping to have you and the kids with us.” 

“Sure.” Paul nods, looking down. 

“We’ll text you the information.” He says, and they make their way out. Tom doesn’t walk them to the door, even though he knows he should. Today’s been tiring, and he needs to check on the kids before they go to bed. Even though Ethan and Lex don’t really have a bedtime, he does it anyways. 

He wonders if Becky does the same with her kids, if she has any. Tom had heard whispers about Stanley, Becky’s ex-husband. He had run off to Clivesdale with his new girlfriend. Tom isn’t sure how anyone could leave someone like Becky. She was too good for anyone, even him. 

They set up a date for Saturday morning coffee. Lex promises to make sure the house doesn’t burn down, although it’s said with a roll of her eyes. Tom chooses to ignore that and heads out. 

Starbucks isn’t a coffee-date kind of place, but the only other option that’s close enough is Beanie’s, where Tom’s sister-in-law works. And even though Emma understands the situation, Tom doesn’t want to freak her out by popping into her work on a date with someone who isn’t Jane. 

Tom spends all morning with Becky, and he tells her about the kids. About Tim, who’s now excited to have siblings, Tom’s budding relationship with Lex and Ethan, why they were at the mall the other day. Becky only smiles and jokes, avoiding talking about herself. 

“I’m sorry. This probably wasn’t what you were thinking, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea to date right now. Tim’s had enough change in his life in the past year and I…” Tom pauses.  _ I don’t think I’m worth dating. _ He thinks to himself. Becky waits for him to finish his sentence, reaching out to squeeze his hand gently. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing yet, Becky.” His voice is quieter now. The noise of the coffee shop starts to get louder around him, and Becky recognizes that his senses are overwhelming him. She always knew what he needed, even when he didn’t know himself. 

“Let’s take a walk.” She suggests, pulling him out of the store and into the cold air. It’s close to thirty degrees out, but she’s still holding his hand as they walk down the streets of downtown Hatchetfield. 

They end up strolling through the park. He tells her about Jane, about the car accident. How it was his fault that Jane was gone. How he was so sure he killed his family, and how terrified he was about fucking up as a father to Lex, Ethan and Hannah. 

  
She grounds him again, guiding him to a bench. She listens and nods and makes sure he feels he’s heard. She doesn’t try to cheer him up or distract him. 

And when he’s done, Becky starts talking. 

She tells him about what happened after they graduated. Going to nursing school, becoming a nurse for the pediatric ward. 

He doesn’t ask her questions, even though he wants answers. He waits for her to tell him what’s wrong. 

She starts talking about Stanley. What was once a beautiful dream turned into a nightmare with him, she says. Becky doesn’t look at him once while she speaks. “I’m sorry I couldn’t go to the funeral. I wanted to, but…” 

She tells Tom about that night, the one that still haunts her mind and makes her feel so stupid for not recognizing the signs. And she begs him to forgive himself, forgive her. They cry into each other’s arms for what seems like an eternity.

And when it’s over, when their souls are bared and tears have been cried, Becky smiles a little. 

“We’ll heal together before anything else.” She promises, and he believes her. 

~~~

Before Tom really notices, Christmas Eve has arrived. He’s given up on trying to get Lex to wear a dress, letting her stay in a suit jacket that she may have stolen from his closet and her best pair of jeans. She’s wearing her new boots, and she looks happy with herself. 

Ethan sticks to his guns with his leather jacket, but he has a button up underneath. His hair is slicked back just enough to look effortless. 

Tim and Hannah are the only ones that look like they’re going to a family dinner. Somehow, Lex convinces Hannah to wear a dress, and Tim’s hair finally looks like it’s under control. 

Becky’s working tonight, but she demands photos. Lex sneaks a few on Tom’s phone and sends them to Becky before the five of them pile into the car. 

Tim’s nervous about being in the car during this time of the year, but Hannah seems to pick up on his nervousness. She hands him Webby. “Protect you.” She says, inching closer to Tim.

Apparently, Paul and Emma made it a Christmas party. They introduce Tom to their friends, and let the kids run off to play video games on the bedroom TV. Ethan and Lex sit in a corner with Alice and Deb, talking about school and where they want to go after they graduate. 

Charlotte, one of Paul’s coworkers, sits with Tom for a good amount of time. Apparently she and her husband, Sam (who is, conveniently, nowhere to be found), were working with foster care a while back, and she’s happy to share the information with Tom. He’s not an idiot when it comes to parenting, but he settles into the conversation when Bill comes over to put in his two cents. 

It takes a while, but the food is finally ready. Emma jokes that she was just going to order pizza, but Paul had strongly disagreed. Charlotte’s made the turkey, and the other sides and desserts were brought by the others. Tom shoots Emma a questioning glance, asking why he didn’t have to bring anything. She only shrugs in response. Four kids was a lot to handle as a single parent, even if two of those kids were practically adults. 

When he’s due to answer what he’s grateful for after dinner, Tom raises his glass. “I’m thankful to be spending Christmas with my new family. To many more memories.” Everyone exclaims their agreement. 

Tom catches Lex’s eye and winks with a smile on his face. 

In less than a month, these kids had taught him what it meant to be a family. 

And he couldn’t have been more grateful. 


End file.
